This year’s planting season is expected to coincide with predicted late November showers. There should, therefore, be adequate time to apply best practice cultivation techniques to prepare the land. This starts with land clearing using mechanical or chemical (herbicide) methods, then applying adequate tillage to create an optimal seedbed.

It’s crucial to consider the farm’s soil type, moisture level and the intended crop so that you can ensure optimal soil-to-seed contact and avoid soil clods. Many farms are affected by soil compaction. This is when soil layers are compressed so that pore spaces are reduced to below optimum levels, resulting in an increase in soil density, decreased air and water movement, and reduced root growth. It is caused principally by poor tillage practices and is common in local farming systems. In addition to creating this restrictive soil layer, compaction induces waterlogging, which reduces root respiration and promotes surface run-off and hence erosion. If the soil is compacted farmers should take action. 

This can include activities such as subsoiling or ripping to break the compacted layer. This will open up soil volume previously unavailable to your crops. Cultivation generally involves soil disturbance (moving the soil to a certain degree), which affects soil moisture and organic matter, which are two critical components in soil. You should therefore seek to disturb the soil as little as possible. That means minimising the extent and depth of cultivation by applying minimum tillage and cultivating the soil only where the plant is to be seeded. Less soil disturbance (ripping rather than ploughing) will conserve more moisture and soil organic matter, which is generally very low in African soils and one of the main reasons for poor productivity. Soil organic matter (dead and decaying plant or animal material, and soil organisms) improves soil structure, retains and supplies nutrients, and retains moisture. So, be as conservative as possible with your tillage.

Ploughing creates a reasonably suitable seedbed, but it has a negative effect on soil moisture and organic matter. A good quality, hard-wearing two to five tine subsoiler or ripper made of high-quality steel tines of 30mm thickness will achieve perfect deep breaking of the soil pan and a good finishing for seeding. Keep in mind that how you cultivate your soil in the short and long terms will affect moisture and nutrient availability to your plants.